Zhongni — Confucius仲尼篇
仲尼之門人，五尺之豎子言羞稱乎五伯。是何也？曰：然。彼誠可羞稱也。齊桓，五伯之盛者也，前事則殺兄而争國；內行則姑姊妹之不嫁者七人，閨門之內，般樂奢汏，以齊之分奉之而不足；外事則詐邾，襲莒，并國三十五。其事行也若是其險汙淫汏也，彼固曷足稱乎大君子之門哉！
Among the followers at Zhongni's gate, even a boy of five feet was ashamed to speak of the five hegemons. Why was this? The answer is: it is so, those men are truly shameful to speak of.
Duke Huan of Qi was the greatest of the five hegemons. In his earlier doings he killed his elder brother and fought for the state. In his conduct within, there were seven among his aunts and his elder and younger sisters who were never married, and inside the women's quarters he took his pleasure and lived in excess, so that the whole revenue of Qi handed over to him was not enough. In his doings abroad he cheated the state of Zhu (邾), he fell upon the state of Ju (莒), and he swallowed up thirty-five states. His conduct of affairs was as sinister and foul and excessive and extravagant as this. How could such a man be worth speaking of at the gate of the great gentleman?
若是而不亡，乃霸，何也？曰：於乎！夫齊桓公有天下之大節焉，夫孰能亡之？倓然見管仲之能足以託國也，是天下之大知也。安忘其怒，出忘其讎，遂立爲仲父，是天下之大決也。立以爲仲父，而貴戚莫之敢妬也；與之高、國之位，而本朝之臣莫之敢惡也；與之書社三百，而富人莫之敢距也。貴賤長少，秩秩焉莫不從桓公而貴敬之，是天下之大節也。諸侯有一節如是，則莫之能亡也；桓公兼此數節者而盡有之，夫又何可亡也？其霸也，宜哉！非幸也，數也。然而仲尼之門，五尺之竪子言羞稱五伯，是何也？曰：然。彼非本政教也，非致隆高也，非綦文理也，非服人之心也。鄉方略，審勞佚，畜積修鬬而能顛倒其敵者也。詐心以勝矣。彼以讓飾争，依乎仁而蹈利者也，小人之傑也，彼固曷足稱乎大君子之門哉！彼王者則不然。致賢而能以救不肖，致彊而能以寬弱，戰必能殆之而羞與之鬬，委然成文以示之天下，而曓國安自化矣，有災繆者然後誅之。故聖王之誅也，綦省矣。文王誅四，武王誅二，周公卒業，至於成王則安以無誅矣。故道豈不行矣哉！文王載百里地而天下一，桀、紂舍之，厚於有天下之埶而不得以匹夫老。故善用之，則百里之國足以獨立矣；不善用之，則楚六千里而爲讎人役。故人主不務得道而廣有其埶，是其所以危也。
That he was such a man and yet did not perish, but became hegemon instead, how was this? The answer is: ah, Duke Huan of Qi had in him a great measure of all under heaven. Who then could destroy him?
That he saw without hesitation that Guan Zhong's ability was enough for the state to be entrusted to him, this was the great knowing of all under heaven. That he calmly forgot his anger, went forward and forgot his enmity, and at last set him up as Zhongfu, this was the great decision of all under heaven.
When he set him up as Zhongfu, none of his honored kinsmen dared to be jealous. When he gave him the places of the Gao and the Guo, none of the ministers of the court dared to hate him. When he gave him three hundred shushe (書社), none of the rich dared to block it. Honored and lowly, elder and young, one after another they followed Duke Huan, and there was none who did not hold him dear and respect him. This was a great measure of all under heaven.
If a feudal lord had even one such measure, none could destroy him. Duke Huan held these several measures together and had them all. How then could he be destroyed? That he became hegemon was fitting. It was not luck but reckoning.
And yet at Zhongni's gate a boy of five feet was ashamed to speak of the five hegemons. How was this? The answer is: it is so. Those men did not make government and teaching their root. They did not carry loftiness to its utmost. They did not exhaust the forms and the patterns. They did not make the hearts of men submit.
They turned to ways and plans, they weighed toil against ease, they stored up and trained for battle, and so they were able to overturn their enemies. They won with a cheating heart. They dressed up their contending with yielding, and they leaned on benevolence while they trod after gain. They were the finest among small men. How could such a man be worth speaking of at the gate of the great gentleman?
The one who is a true king is not so. He is worthy in the utmost and yet can rescue the unworthy. He is strong in the utmost and yet can be broad with the weak. In war he could surely bring them into peril, and yet he is ashamed to fight with them. He forms the patterns amply and shows them to all under heaven, and violent states grow calm and change of themselves. Only when there is one who calls down disaster and goes wrong does he put him to death.
So the putting to death by sage kings was very rare. King Wen put four to death and King Wu put two to death, and the Duke of Zhou finished the work. By the time of King Cheng all was at peace and there was none to put to death. How then could the way not have been walked?
King Wen held a hundred li of land and all under heaven became one. Jie and King Zhou (紂) threw it away, and though the power of holding all under heaven lay thick upon them, they could not even grow old as common men. So if it is used well, a state of a hundred li is enough to stand alone. If it is not used well, Chu with six thousand li is put to work by its enemies. So when a ruler does not work at getting the way but only widens his power of position, this is why he is in danger.
持寵處位終身不厭之術：主尊貴之，則恭敬而僔；主信愛之，則謹慎而嗛；主專任之，則拘守而詳：主安近之，則慎比而不邪；主疏遠之，則全一而不倍；主損絀之，則恐懼而不怨。貴而不爲夸，信而不處謙，任重而不敢專，財利至則善而不及也，必將盡辭讓之義然後受，福事至則和而理，禍事至則静而理，富則廣施，貧則用節，可貴可賤也，可富可貧也，可殺而不可使爲姦也，是持寵處位終身不厭之術也。雖在貧窮徒處之埶，亦取象於是矣，夫是之謂吉人。《詩》云：「媚茲一人，應侯順德。永言孝思，昭哉嗣服。」此之謂也。
This is the art of keeping favor and holding a place and never wearying of it to the end of one's days.
When the lord honors him and holds him dear, he is respectful and careful and draws himself in. When the lord trusts and loves him, he is careful and cautious and humble. When the lord entrusts everything to him, he holds himself in and keeps to it and is thorough. When the lord keeps him near, he goes along carefully and does not go crooked. When the lord keeps him at a distance, he stays whole and single and does not turn his back. When the lord cuts him down and casts him out, he is afraid and does not resent.
Honored, he does not boast. Trusted, he does not dwell on his own modesty. Charged with a heavy burden, he does not dare to take it all on himself. When goods and gain come, he is pleased and yet does not reach for them, and he always fulfills the right of yielding before he receives. When a blessed matter comes, he is in harmony with it and keeps it in order. When a disastrous matter comes, he is still and keeps it in order. Rich, he gives widely. Poor, he spends sparingly. He may be made honored or lowly, he may be made rich or poor, he may be killed, but he cannot be made to do a treacherous thing. This is the art of keeping favor and holding a place and never wearying of it to the end of one's days.
Even in the state of being poor and blocked and living to no purpose, he takes his model from this, and such a man is called a man of good fortune. The Odes say, "They love this one man and answer the lord's compliant virtue. Long does he think of filial duty, and bright is the work he has taken up." This is what is meant.
求善處大重，理任大事，擅寵於萬乘之國，必無後患之術：莫若好同之，援賢博施，除怨而無妨害人。能耐任之，則慎行此道也。能而不耐任，且恐失寵，則莫若早同之，推賢讓能而安隨其後。如是，有寵則必榮，失寵則必無罪，是事君者之寶而必無後患之術也。故知者之舉事也，滿則慮嗛，平則慮險，安則慮危，曲重其豫，猶恐及其旤，是以百舉而不陷也。孔子曰：「巧而好度必節，勇而好同必勝，知而好謙必賢。」此之謂也。愚者反是。處重擅權，則好專事而妬賢能，抑有功而擠有罪，志驕盈而輕舊怨，以𠫤嗇而不行施道乎上，爲重招權於下以妨害人，雖欲無危，得乎哉！是以位尊則必危，任重則必廢，擅寵則必辱，可立而待也，可炊而傹也。是何也？則墮之者衆而持之者寡矣。
This is the art of standing well in a great charge, of governing and taking on great affairs, of holding favor alone in a state of ten thousand chariots, and of surely seeking to have no trouble afterward.
There is nothing like loving to make common cause with others, drawing up the worthy, giving widely, clearing away resentment and not harming others. If he can bear the charge, he carefully walks this way. If he is able and yet cannot bear the charge, and moreover fears to lose favor, there is nothing like making common cause early, pushing the worthy forward, yielding to the able, and calmly following behind them. If he does this, then when he has favor he is surely in glory, and when he loses favor he is surely without blame. This is the treasure of the man who serves a lord, and the art of surely having no trouble afterward.
So when a knowing man sets about a matter, if it is full he reckons on its waning, if it is level he reckons on its steepness, if it is at peace he reckons on its peril. He prepares beforehand again and again, and still he fears that disaster will reach him. So he sets about a hundred things and falls into none. Confucius said, "The skillful man who loves measure will surely keep measure. The bold man who loves to make common cause will surely win. The knowing man who loves modesty will surely be worthy." This is what is meant.
The foolish man is the other way round. Holding a great charge and gripping power alone, he loves to take affairs all on himself and is jealous of the worthy and the able. He holds down those who have merit and pushes out those who have blame. His will is proud and full, he makes light of old resentments, and being stingy he does not walk the way of giving to those above, while below he gathers power to himself and harms others. Though he should wish not to be in peril, can it be?
So when a place is honored, there is surely peril. When a charge is heavy, there is surely a fall. When favor is held alone, there is surely disgrace. One may stand and wait for it, and it may arrive in the time it takes to cook a meal. Why is this? Because those who pull down are many and those who hold up are few.
天下之行術：以事君則必通，以爲仁則必聖，立隆而勿貳也。然後恭敬以先之，忠信以統之，慎謹以行之，端愨以守之，頓窮則從之疾力以申重之。君雖不知，無怨疾之心；功雖甚大，無伐德之色；省求，多功，愛敬不勌；如是，則常無不順矣。以事君則必通，以爲仁則必聖，夫之謂天下之行術。少事長，賤事貴，不肖事賢，是天下之通義也。有人也，埶不在人上而羞爲人下，是姦人之心也。志不免乎姦心，行不免乎姦道，而求有君子聖人之名，辟之是猶伏而咶天，救經而引其足也。說必不行矣，俞務而俞遠。故君子時詘則詘，時伸則伸也。
This is the art of walking in all under heaven. Serve a lord by it and you will surely get through. Practice benevolence by it and you will surely be sagely.
Set up what is lofty and be not of two minds. Then go before others with respect, gather them with loyalty and trust, walk it with care and caution, guard it with uprightness and honesty, and when you are blocked and at an end, follow it and strain your strength and take it up again.
Though the lord does not know him, he has no heart of resentment or hate. Though his merit is very great, he wears no look of boasting of his virtue. He asks for little, he does much, and he does not weary of love and respect. If he is like this, there is never a thing that does not go along with him. Serve a lord by it and you will surely get through. Practice benevolence by it and you will surely be sagely. This is what is called the art of walking in all under heaven.
That the young serve the elder, that the lowly serve the honored, that the unworthy serve the worthy, this is the right that runs through all under heaven. Here is a man whose position is not above others and who is ashamed to be below others. This is the heart of a treacherous man. To have a will that does not escape a treacherous heart and conduct that does not escape a treacherous way, and still to seek the name of a gentleman and a sage, is like lying face down and licking the sky, or like pulling at the feet of a hanged man to save him. Such talk will surely not be walked, and the harder he works at it the further off he goes. So the gentleman bends when the time bends and stretches when the time stretches.